The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to invest significantly at the EDGE position this offseason to upgrade their pass rush.
One player drawing first-round buzz is Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk, and while he's a good player with a high ceiling, he's not the right fit for what Tampa Bay needs right now.
Keldric Faulk isn't the right first-round pick for the Buccaneers
Faulk is a high-upside player who offers a lot of versatility. Some draft analysts project the 6-foot-6, 280 pound as a primarily interior defender in the NFL, but he has the ability play anywhere on the defensive line.
The problem with Faulk that makes him a poor fit for the Buccaneers is that he's more impressive as a run defender than as a pass rusher. His 66.0 PFF pass rush grade ranked an unimpressive 415th out of 851 qualifying players at the position, but his elite 85.5 run defense grade ranked 19th in the nation.
Faulk recorded only two sacks in his final college season, and only ten throughout the entirety of his collegiate career.
The Bucs have been bitten before when betting on traits and untapped potential despite a lack of proven production. Nobody represents this better than Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, the team's most recent first-round EDGE draft choice, who had only nine sacks in his college career.
If the Buccaneers are going to draft an EDGE in the first round, they need it to be somebody who can be an impact pass rusher on day one, rather than a developmental project.
Compare Faulk's numbers to the other top EDGE prospects in the upcoming draft class: Miami's Reuben Bain had 20.5 sacks in his college career. Texas Tech's David Bailey had 29 sacks. Texas A&M's Cashius Howell recorded 27 collegiate sacks, and Clemson's T.J. Parker had 21.5 sacks.
Faulk's lack of sack production should make a team like Tampa Bay, whose biggest need is an impact pass rusher, wary before selecting him with a premium draft pick. If EDGE is the route the Buccaneers decide to go, they'd be much better served selecting a more proven pass rusher, so they don't end up with the same buyer's remorse they've had in the past when gambling on high-upside, developmental pass rushers.